Conecta Arizona
Cruzando Lineas
Cruzando Líneas, a new podcast series that tells stories of hope from the Southern border region. Hosted and produced ¡en español! by Maritza L. Félix, the creator of Conecta Arizona, an innovative news service and call-in radio show, Cruzando Líneas focuses on the human bridges that border residents build while others build walls. In the series, seven independent journalists from the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, and Argentina tell stories of family, food, love, traditions, sports, immigration, and all the beauty that the border holds and is often not shared in the news. These stories unfold on different sides of the border; it´s like having one foot in Arizona and another in Mexico or Central America. Cruzando Líneas showcases the talent of a number of border journalists who focus their work on Spanish-language and whose stories many times remain invisible in traditional media. Cruzando Líneas is a platform where local reporters and producers reclaim the border narrative in their language and accents. Through their stories, they are shattering stereotypes and sharing with the world the many positive border stories that are not being told.
Contributor Work
Illustration for the first episode of Cruzando Líneas “El Globo,” July 5, 2022. Illustration by Daniel Robles, Creative Director, Conecta Arizona
Contributor Profile
Maritza L. Félix is a freelance journalist, producer, and writer in Arizona. She is the founder of Conecta Arizona, a news you-can-use service in Spanish that connects people in Arizona and Sonora primarily through WhatsApp and social media. She is the co-founder, co-producer, and co-host of Comadres al Aire. She is a JSK Community Impact Senior Fellow at Stanford, The Carter Center, IWMF Adelante, Feet in 2 Worlds, EWA and Listening Post Collective Fellow, and one of Take the Lead’s 50 Women Who Can Change the World of Journalism 2020 cohort. She is currently a media leader of the Executive Program in News Innovation and Leadership in Journalism at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. Born in Magdalena de Kino, Sonora, Mexico, the border has been her home and source of inspiration for more than 15 years.